In the most controversial nomination of the year so far, the state House of Representatives approved Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's pick Tuesday as the commisssioner of public safety after lawmakers blasted her tenure overseeing the Rikers Island prison in New York City.

In a largely party line vote, the House approved the nomination of Dora R. Schriro by 79 to 65 with seven members absent. Four House Democrats joined with all Republicans present who voted against Schriro.

During a debate on the House floor, a bipartisan group of lawmakers cited a U.S. Department of Justice investigative report that has been detailed in recent stories in The New York Times about major problems at Rikers Island when Schriro was in charge. Other investigations took place in St. Louis and Arizona when she worked there.

State Rep. Arthur O'Neill, a Southbury Republican, said that giving Schiro a second chance "is a dangerous thing to do.''

Known for his mild-mannered demeanor and pro-law enforcement views, O'Neill called for his colleagues to vote against Schriro.

O'Neill said on the House floor that Schriro has been described as "someone who cannot be trusted'' and has "a history of not coming up with answers.''

The Rikers report showed that there was "widescale, systematic abuse of adolescent prisoners,'' O'Neill said. "This is wrong, and she had to be aware of what was going on.''

He added, "This nominee is a problem.''

Democratic insiders knew all along that the vote would be close, and some Schriro supporters believed that five House Republicans would vote in her favor. That turned out not to be the case as no Republicans voted for the commissioner.

Members of the legislature's Black and Puerto Rican Caucus had raised concerns about Schriro, but many of the members still voted for her. Caucus members who voted against her were Rep. Minnie Gonzalez of Hartford and Robyn Porter of New Haven. The other two House Democrats who voted against Schriro were David Alexander of Enfield and Roland LeMar of New Haven.

House Speaker Brendan Sharkey, a Hamden Democrat, said he voted in favor of Schriro because she "has done a very good job in her tenure here in Connecticut'' since being appointed by Malloy.

"To the extent that questions have been raised about her candor at the committee level is concerning, but I don't think it rises to the level of not reappointing her - given her track record here in the state.''

Rep. Craig Miner, a Litchfield Republican, said he hoped that legislators had not already made up their minds in favor of Schriro before they heard the detailed debate on the House floor.

"I hope we don't look back on this day and say, 'I wish we had called time out,' '' Miner said.

But Rep. Stephen Dargan, the longtime co-chairman of the public safety committee, delivered a strong and ringing defense of Schriro, saying she is "a breath of fresh air'' in Connecticut who has improved the state police since taking over last year.

Citing Malloy's Second Chance Initiative for criminal justice, Dargan said that Schriro has done a solid job with the state police by improving the dispatching system that had been consolidated under the previous commissioner and colonel. The state troopers' union had issued a no-confidence vote of their previous supervisors, but the union has been supportive of Schriro.

"I'm not even giving her a second chance,'' Dargan said, adding, "I'm not going to talk about the past'' at Rikers Island.

In one example, state Rep. Cecelia Buck-Taylor, a New Milford Republican, said that Schriro "decided to doctor those documents ... and she admits to this. There's no apology. She admits to this.''

"The judge said she can't be trusted to tell the truth,'' Buck-Taylor said on the House floor, referring to a federal case in St. Louis when Schriro worked there.

Regarding Schriro's work at Rikers Island, Buck-Taylor said, "I would throw New York out the window.''

"This is not what Connecticut deserves,'' Buck-Taylor said. "Honestly, guys, is this what the great state of Connecticut deserves?''

Gonzalez, a Hartford Democrat who urged her colleagues to vote against Schriro, asked, "Opportunity? Opportunity to get abused in a cell? ... Is that the opportunity she is talking about?''

"She never disclosed the Department of Justice investigation,'' Gonzalez said. "She was fully aware of the investigation. ... Surveillance tapes were missing.''

Gonzalez said that Rikers Island, during Schriro's tenure, had "some of the worst abuse cases in the country.''

Legislators said that inmates suffered broken jaws, noses, and ribs, along with lacerations requiring stitches in a violent prison where some assaults went unreported.

"The use of excessive force was ignored,'' Gonzalez said, adding that some inmates were only 18 years old.

In St. Louis, a judge said that Schriro "cannot be trusted to tell the truth,'' Gonzalez said, echoing an anecdote mentioned by Buck-Taylor.

"The Black and Puerto Rican Caucus met with Dora Schriro and asked her why she didn't disclose'' problems at Rikers Island, Gonzalez said on the House floor. "Guess what? She lied again.''

"I know we can do better,'' Gonzalez said. "Today, this vote is about justice. I know we can do better. Today, this vote is for all the inmates - young and old. ... This vote is about justice for all those inmates who couldn't defend themselves.''

Gonzalez said that Schriro told lawmakers that she did not know in advance what would be included in the Department of Justice report.

Rep. Claire Janowski, the co-chairwoman of the General Assembly's executive and legislative nominations committee, told O'Neill on the House floor that Schriro had disclosed the existence of the Rikers Island investigation to the committee in her most recent interview with them. Janowski said the U.S. Department of Justice report "was not known'' at the time of the first time that Schriro was interviewed by the committee and Schriro was never asked about it at that point.

O'Neill wanted to know if Schriro had voluntarily disclosed the existence of the Rikers report to the committee.

"She never told them that there was a fairly large federal investigation,'' O'Neill said. "She clearly had to be aware of the investigation. ... This is not something that could have escaped her notice.''

Rep. Whit Betts, a Bristol Republican, said he had originally intended to vote in favor of Schriro, but the floor debate had changed his mind and caused him to vote against Schriro.

"How did this person get this far along in the process with many serious questions?'' Betts asked. "Holy smoke. I can't walk away from this chamber today and say, I am glad we approved this nomination today. ... How in the world could we be ignoring what we heard in the debate today? ... I always give people the benefit of the doubt. This debate has definitely brought that doubt in my mind.''

"In every organization, people shift personnel,'' Noujaim said, adding that it was "appalling'' the way that Vance was treated when he was shifted recently to traffic duty. As such, Schriro deserves a 'no' vote, he said.